


What's in a Name

by McKay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 02:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10957389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKay/pseuds/McKay
Summary: Friendly teasing leads to a serious change.





	What's in a Name

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2003.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Nymphadora?"

"I don't know. I lost count after three hundred and fifteen thousand, four hundred and ninety-six."

Tonks fixed Remus with her fiercest glare, but he seemed unfazed, so she huffed indignantly at him instead.

"Now I know why they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"First, I'm not that old. Second, you're confusing me with Sirius." He paused, then cocked his head and regarded her quizzically. "Why do you dislike being called Nymphadora so much?"

"You wouldn't have to ask that if you'd spent most of your childhood and early adolescence being called 'Nympho'."

He smiled and shook his head. "You're an adult now. No one is going to call you that anymore."

"D'you want me to start calling you 'Remy', then?"

"Tonks it is."

Chuckling, Tonks leaned back and closed her eyes, tilting her chin up to the sun; she felt the warm rays heating her face, but the breeze kept her from becoming too hot. Remus sat quietly beside her, and she knew from experience that he wouldn't say much, although he would hold up his end of the conversation if she began chattering. She peeked sidelong at him through slitted eyes and wondered what he was thinking about and whether he might tell her if she asked.

While he seemed to be relaxed, the movement of his eyes told her that he was alert and scanning the area for a glimpse of their quarry. They'd been sitting there since the business day began, but so far, no luck; they had to stay, though, until the next team arrived to relieve them, and that wouldn't be for another couple of hours yet. But she hadn't been bored, despite having to remain in one place for several hours; she could be patient when she needed to be, and she took her jobs as an Auror and as a member of the Order seriously.

"Any sign of him?"

"Not yet. He may not show today."

"Buggerit." She slouched down on the bench and folded her arms. "I'd hoped we would have good news to report tonight."

Remus glanced over at her and smiled. "We may yet."

She peered closely at him, almost suspiciously, looking for any trace of condescension in that smile, but she saw none; mollified, she sat up a little straighter and uncrossed her arms so she wouldn't look quite so much as if she were pouting. That was one thing she liked about him: he didn't treat her like an idiot just because she was young and liked to change her hair colour and maybe had a few hand-eye coordination issues. She wasn't _that_ clumsy, after all.

All right, maybe she was, but she still hated being treated like a rambunctious child in need of a nap, and some of the older Aurors could be quite snotty about it. Remus wasn't, though. He just dodged when one of her expansive gestures got a bit out of control, or helped her mend things if she dropped them, and she liked that about him.

"I wonder what people think when they see us sitting here, especially the Muggles," she mused, glancing around at the people walking past their bench; some of them glanced back, but most seemed not to notice them, even though she imagined they made an odd pair. She wondered if anyone made up little stories about who they were and why they were there, like she had been doing about people she had seen that day. "I bet they think we're a couple, unemployed and struggling in poverty, but desperately in love."

Remus snorted, but didn't otherwise comment or look at her, and she took that as an invitation to continue teasing. Leaning over towards him, she grinned, trying to catch his eye and coax him into grinning back.

"Maybe they think we're Bohemians," she said, earning a louder snort that may have held a hint of a chuckle as well. "Or maybe you're a poor but incredibly talented artist, and I'm the prostitute who's your muse, but also your tragic love."

She had never heard him laugh before; it was a deep, furry sound that made her tingle in pleasant places, and she wanted to make him laugh again.

Finally, he turned to look at her, and she saw the lingering gleam of amusement in his eyes. "Wouldn't that mean one of us would have to die? It's usually the prostitute, you know. The artist lives on alone and heartbroken to immortalise their love in his work."

"Weeeell, we could rewrite that part," she said, her grin widening. "I like happy endings."

The amusement faded, and she thought she caught a flash of melancholy before his usual calm expression settled into place. "Yes," he replied softly. "So do I."

Dismayed at having shattered the comfortable mood -- she hadn't meant to! -- she tried to jolly him out of whatever thoughts had caused the light to dim in his eyes; she scooted closer and smiled winningly. "We could pretend, y'know. Make up a cover story and act it out. We could pretend we're lovers and start snogging right when some stuffy old lady walks by."

Remus averted his gaze from hers and slid along the bench just enough to put some space between them again, clearly uncomfortable. "Nymphadora--"

"Tonks."

"--Tonks, I don't think that's a very good idea."

She sat back again, her own good humour shriveling at the little twinge of hurt that his words created. "Why not? You're not interested in snogging me?"

He darted a startled look at her, then shook his head. "No, that isn't it at all."

"So you _are_ interested!" she exclaimed, feeling strangely giddy at the thought.

With a little frustrated huff, he turned to face her again, and for the first time since she'd met him, he seemed nervous and uncertain, toying restlessly with a loose thread on his sleeve. "Whether I'm interested or not is beside the point. We're here for a reason, and we need to stay focused."

"Well, what if we weren't here for a reason?" she persisted. Somehow, this had become very important to her, and she wanted answers. "What if we were just two people sitting here on this bench together? Would you want to snog me then?"

He gazed at her silently for a long moment, then sighed. "It's irrelevant. You're young--"

"You're not that old."

"--and you're human."

"And you're a werewolf. So? Stranger things have happened. I heard this story about Dumbledore's brother that you wouldn't believe--"

"Tonks." His voice was gentle, but he didn't reach out to touch her; it struck her, then, that he rarely did, not just with her, but with anybody. "Let's not discuss it anymore, all right?"

"Why not? We're not all that different, y'know. We both change. You just have more limited control than I do."

"I'm far more dangerous as well," he reminded her, but she shook her head vehemently.

"Only when you're furry, and I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I know better than to go near you then," she retorted, a determined note in her voice.

"I don't think you're stupid," he replied quietly, and she peered at him closely, trying to read something -- anything -- in his expression that would give her a hint about what he was thinking.

"What _do_ you think, then?" she asked just as quietly, her breath catching in her chest as she waited for the answer.

Remus met her gaze at last, and they simply looked at one another for what seemed to Tonks to be the very first time. After an eternity, he reached out, hesitating along the way, and stroked the soft hair at her temple with his fingertips, a small smile blooming on his lips when she leaned into the touch instead of pulling away.

"I think your hair looks best when it's lavender," he said at last, and she nodded, a smile of her own bursting forth.

Scooting closer again, she snuggled against his side, releasing a soft, happy little sigh at the weight of his arm curving around her shoulders.

"I like you, Remy."

"I like you too, Nympho."

 

-end-


End file.
